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The House of Representatives

How It Worked and How It Works Now

By Iria Vasquez-PaezPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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The House makes up half of Congress as the government’s legislative branch. The House has 325 voting members, their positions are based on the population of the 50 states. A representative is referred to as a congressman or congresswoman. The number of voters for the House was set at 435 on August 8, 1911, in effect since 1913. The number of representatives per state is proportionate to the population. Article one, Section two of the Constitution has provided for the minimum and maximum sizes for the House of Representatives, as there are five delegates representing the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

A resident commissioner is a Puerto Rican representative, as the delegates have the same powers as the other House members, save for the fact they lack a vote when the House is meeting as the House of Representatives. There are other public roles such as the role of the speaker of the House, the minority leaders, the assistant leaders, whips, and a party caucus or conference. Party members discuss matters of concern. The current speaker of the house is Democrat Nancy Pelosi, as the speaker acts as a leader of the house, combining several roles such as the institutional role as a presiding officer/administrator of the House.

It is Nancy Pelosi who becomes President if the President and Vice President are impeached, or for some reason, cannot fulfill the duties of either office. Our history, the history of the House, which was founded in 1789, would include the personal history of the 11,000 individuals who have served as elected to the House. The House also has majority leaders and minority leaders. As it stands now, Republicans are the minority while Democrats are the majority.

The House of Representatives is seen as the lower house, while the Senate is the upper house. Members of the House of Representatives come from various districts, districts that are entitled to one representative. Since the creation of the House in 1789, all Representatives are directly elected. The House passes federal legislation, as in working with federal laws or laws that affect the country as a whole. The house also has the power to impeach federal officers. The House is located in the south wing of the United States Capitol. The House also maintains a position within it known as the Speaker of the House, who is elected by fellow representatives, often across party lines.

It would seem that the Articles of Confederation are what began the structure of government as it has evolved into the present-day structure. The Constitutional Convention of 1789 involved the Connecticut Compromise, under which one house of Congress would provide equal representation that is proportional to the state’s population while the other half, consisting of the Senate, would provide equal representation by the States. Occasionally, this bicameral system of governance can make life hard for either half. Sometimes they have major disagreements on a lot of things. In modern times, Congress occasionally slips into gridlock, debate, and manhandling.

Today, party leaders rarely get a say in anything, they try filibusters way too often, while debating issues to death. Some would say that politics has gotten way too divided across party lines. These days, Congress functions as a junior partner to the executive, that does not function at all when it comes to priorities such as the immigration situation we find ourselves in at present. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, did something to block debate on a proposal that would have encouraged a limit with foreign influence in US election processes. He did this while “warning” colleagues that it would become a “two-week ordeal,” says Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Senate leaders limit the number of votes on amendments to the proposed legislation, sinking to an all-time low under Mitch McConnell. Yes, our modern government has issues.

Works Cited

People

The House Explained

How Congress Stopped Working

Wikipedia—US HOR

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About the Creator

Iria Vasquez-Paez

I have a B.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State. Can people please donate? I'm very low-income. I need to start an escape the Ferengi plan.

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